What are the best pots and pans for a boat? Whatever cookware you get, this is something that you’ll use everyday and, outside of your galley appliances such as the refrigerator and stove, will probably be the most expensive bit of galley gear you’ll buy. You want to get it right the first time.
Magma Nestable Cookware
Hands down, I recommend the Magma Nestable Non-Stick Cookware Set (shown above) with the regular set as an alternative for those who don’t like non-stick.
I used an earlier non-stick version of this set for six years aboard Que Tal and loved it. It meets all my criteria for great boat cookware. (NOTE: That set stayed on the boat when we sold her. This past summer, fed up with the space that the pans were taking up in my “house” kitchen — which is tiny — I got rid of most of them and purchased the Magma 7-piece starter set shown at the bottom of this article. I also have one very good but expensive titanium nonstick skillet, the Kuhn-Rikon Multi-pot and some baking pans.)
- Useful Pan Sizes. In 6 years, I never felt the need for another size pan. This set includes a 1-1/2-, 2-, and 3-quart size sauce pan, with a 5-quart stock pot and a 9-1/2 inch frying pan. For 2 people living aboard, and occasional guests and pitch in dinners, I never needed anything else. The two lids each work with several of the pans, and on the few occasions that I needed a third lid I just used a piece of aluminum foil. Another consideration is that these sizes of pans will fit in almost any pot restraints (if your stove is particularly small, you may want to measure).
- Easily Stowed. Pans can take an inordinate amount of space in a boat kitchen. These take up a space about 12 inches by 12 inches by 6 inches high, due to the nesting design and the fact that the handles are removable.
- Removable Handles. Those removable handles actually do several things for this set — they make it so that the pans nest together much more tightly so that they take less space; they make it so that the pans can be used in the oven as well as on the stovetop; and they make the pans more suitable for use as serving dishes (for example, the sauce pans make nice salad bowls if the handles aren’t attached). When needed, the handles attach securely, so that you’re not afraid of spilling hot food. Many cheaper sets have “fold down” handles that tend to “fall down” next to the burner and get VERY hot in use — I really don’t like those!
- Multi-Use Set. If your space is really limited (and whose isn’t in a galley), this set can serve as your mixing bowls, stovetop cookware, baking pans and serving dishes. For our first three years aboard Que Tal, this was my “one and only” set and it worked fine for everything I made — bread, casseroles, brownies and more. Eventually I added a few more baking pans and serving dishes, but this was a great starting point.
- High Quality Pans. Many nesting “camping” pans are thin metal, prone to hot spots that can scorch your food. These aren’t. They are heavy-duty stainless with triple-clad bottoms. There’s less chance of hot spots and the stainless won’t rust or react with acidic foods the way many cheaper aluminum pans will.
- Use Less Water with Non-Stick Pans. I know that some people don’t like non-stick pans for a variety of reasons: you have to be careful not to scratch them, and some worry about the chemicals. The number-one reason that I like non-stick aboard a boat is that cleanup uses so much less water (okay, it takes less effort, too). No soaking pans, no rinsing something off only to realize it’s not fully clean, and so on. The Magma Non-Stick set is high-quality non-stick and very scratch resistant. You can get good silicone utensils to use with it and I’ll even admit to using metal utensils in my Silverstone pans (although I don’t recommend it and if you do, it’s at your own risk). A few pieces of fabric (I like fleece) between the pans will prevent scratching when stowed. The non-stick set is a little harder to use as your mixing bowls, as the silicone mixing spoons aren’t as satisfactory as the stainless mixing spoons — but if you do a lot of baking, you’re probably going to want a true mixing bowl and this won’t be as much of an issue (see my recommendations on hand mixing equipment).
Years ago, I bought a cheap nesting pan set for camping — it cost about $20 and I figured I could live with it for a week at a time. And every trip we took, I was frustrated because my food would scorch, the pans dented easily and the handles weren’t really usable.
When we moved aboard Que Tal, I briefly thought of taking that set. We were spending money left and right to outfit the boat, and I already had those pans. I even went so far as to take the pans to the boat and use them for a week. That made up my mind. I can’t tell you how glad I am that I bought a better set. They really are worth it, particularly if you’re going to be spending more than just an occasional day on the boat.
Another less-expensive option is a Magma 7-piece “starter” set, pictured at right, although it does not come in nonstick. This is the set I now have, although I have a few other pans as well.
Whichever set you get, I think you’ll be happy!
The one comprehensive galley reference needed aboard every boat
You might want to check the MANY health concerns with non stick cookware. for a boat a good one is Fagor 16-pc. Cookware Set.
Cheers
Mike
I know that some people have concerns with nonstick cookware, but I’ll say that I don’t have a problem with it as long it’s high quality nonstick — the stuff that doesn’t peel off and put particles in your food.
For those who don’t want nonstick, the Magma set comes in a regular version as well, with the same heavy-duty stainless and removable handles.
Unfortunately, the Fagor 16-piece set seems to have been discontinued but if it becomes available, I’ll post a link.
UPDATE: I just got an e-mail from the owner of Galleyware — they bought a limited number of the Fagor 16-pc. Multifunctional Cookware sets that were privately branded for Rapid Chef as a closeout special. FURTHER UPDATE 4/26/12: These have all been sold and no more are available.
– Carolyn
Carolyn
Saw your post of 4/26. We have 18 more Fagor sets and then they’re gone. Thanks as always.
Kris
Hi Carolyn,
The main concern with nonstick teflon is actually the harmful particles and gases it emits when heated. So it the quality doesn’t matter. All nonstick teflon is dangerous when you breath the vapours!
If Fagor is not available you can look for Rapid Chef cookware.
Cheers,
Mike
If you have concerns, by all means opt for non-coated stainless pans. However, neither the FDA nor the EPA believes there are problems with nonstick pans in normal use and the Consumer Products Safety Commission has rejected petitions for a warning label on nonstick pans, according to the DuPont website.
I knew when I recommended nonstick pans that some people would not like nonstick, and that’s why I offered the plain set as an alternative. The 16-piece Rapid Chef (privately branded version of Fagor) set is nice, but one of the frying pans does have a nonstick coating. So I’ll stick with recommending the regular Magma set for those who don’t want to use nonstick coatings.
–Carolyn
UPDATE: I just got an e-mail from the owner of Galleyware — they bought a limited number of the Fagor 16-pc. Multifunctional Cookware sets that were privately branded for Rapid Chef as a closeout special. FURTHER UPDATE 4/26/12: These have all been sold and no more are available.
My biggest issue with the nestable sets is the stability of the handles. I have yet to use a set (and as a delivery skipper I handle a lot of disparate cookware) that feels as stable as real cookware. On Auspicious I still use the Farberware cookware I bought when I graduated from college, a Kuhn-Rikon pressure cooker, a Swiss-Diamond deep skillet and some odds and ends of conventional saute pans.
Where is a good place to get them.
Hi Yvonne! The links in the article (where it’s in red or you can click on the photo) are to Amazon, which is where I’ve seen BY FAR the best price. For the Fagor set, the link in red will take you to Galleyware.com which is the only place that is still selling them. Enjoy!
Thanks
Hi Carolyn,
Really enjoying your site – thanks for this collection of thoughts and ideas!
One thing I have to disagree on is your concern that stainless takes more effort to clean and uses more water. A good quality stainless set with heavy bottoms (I have Lagostina) is remarkably easy and fast to clean. I have one non-stick pan and I find I spend more time and water trying to remove the oily layer from this pan than to clean my stainless pans.
Kind regards,
Katia
I bought a Galleyware nesting cookware set 2 years ago which I have been using daily. I found out the hard way NOT to submerge the removable handles in water or even rinse in running water. The springs rusted out in 6 months. Luckily, replacements were available via the Galleyware website for a fair price…around $11 each.
Thanks for the head’s up! I’m positive that I washed the Magma handles many times and never had a problem.
I asked Karen how the replacement handles were doing — here’s her reply:
Carolyn, I have had the replacement handles for about 18 months now and they are still working like new. Of course we only wipe the handles with a damp cloth now!
I’ve lived aboard for almost 8 years total now, cruising for part of that (not enough!) and here are my loves for galley cooking-
Le Creuset saucepans and dutch oven. I’ve been using them for years and I love them. Expensive, but they will probably outlast the boat. I like them because they cook beautifully with a nice, even heat. The ceramic coating is fairly non-stick without being fussy with utensils and no chemical worries. Since they are cast iron, they’re heavy, but I like that because they are very stable when cooking underway.
I also love my cast iron skillet and use it every day. If they are well taken care of and used regularly, cast iron skillets are very non stick.
We do have one non-stick skillet which we really only use for low-heat stuff like eggs. It’s a high-quality one made by Vollrath.
Hi Carolyn, I gave the Magma nesting regular cookware set to my partner Ian for Christmas. He loves to cook and I love to eat so it is a match made in Heaven! We both enjoy using this cookware, and because we sail a 21 foot trailable yacht, the space it takes up is minimal. We will be moving on to a keeler in about a year and the cookware will go with us.Initially I was hesitant to trust the handles, but they are fine. Thanks for the heads up!
Marie
Another benefit to the Magma sets is that you can get replacement parts from Magma. We originally bought the 9 piece set (no large cover) and added the cover later. We damaged the frying pan and were able to buy another.
Thanks so much for your blog with loads of info. I think I read it all! We have traveled the world by plane and just got a 9M Catalac (29.3 ft catamaran). My husband and I plan on cruising for weeks or more at a time. We love traveling, cooking, sailing and eating. I found your information and reader comments very helpful. Just ordered a magma starter set but will also bring a 10 inch cast iron skillet as I find this is more non-stick than Teflon, it can got from stove top to oven easily and I use one every day at home. Iron is also good for your health as some minerals from the cooking utensils do leach into the food.
Love my pans, bought them for Ian for Christmas ‘cos I wanted them so much!!!!!!!
I just got mine and love them already. I think I’ll order another set for home.
I have them on my Amazon wishlist so that maybe someday!! I went through our pots on the boat and they just take up so much space!! If I could pare down to this, I’d have room in that drawer for the baking pans too.
I’ve just discovered that CUISINART makes a nesting set called the “stowaway” or “stow-8.” Has the heavy bottom like their other pans, just has removable handles.
I’m going to give ‘em a try. If they’re anything like my CUISINART pans at home, they will be ‘da bomb.’ My home pans, albeit not non-stick, still clean pretty easily and they cook so very well and evenly.
More as it develops,
tami
The Cuisinart Stow 8 set is discontinued according to the Cuisinart website
Amazon also had the last of the Stow-8 sets and they just sold out about a week ago so looks like they’re not available anywhere now.
I bought the non-stick Magma set in May 2011 at a very good price (best I’ve seen) from Hodgesmarine.com – they sell many items like marine electronics at the best prices in most cases…
Check out my website – http://www.svsecondwind.jimdo.com – for other products I’ve found for my refit of my Cal 35 MkII…
Fair Winds!